soulpower said:

First of all,what's wrong with disco?

I think their music is diverse,and doesn't rely on any one style.For the most part,I consider them to be a retro-R&B band.They take the best elements of 70s R&B,funk,and disco and combine them with modern styles like electronica ("Feels Good"),rock("Stop Don't Panic") and dramatic balladry ("Corner Of The Earth").But make no mistake,these guys can funk too.I dare you to listen to a song like "Where Do We Go From Here" and tell me it's not funky.These guys could easily make an explosive hardcore funk album if they chose to.

DavidEye said:

>First of all,what's wrong with disco?

I think their music is diverse,and doesn't rely on any one style.For the most part,I consider them to be a retro-R&B band.They take the best elements of 70s R&B,funk,and disco and combine them with modern styles like electronica ("Feels Good"),rock("Stop Don't Panic") and dramatic balladry ("Corner Of The Earth").But make no mistake,these guys can funk too.I dare you to listen to a song like "Where Do We Go From Here" and tell me it's not funky.These guys could easily make an explosive hardcore funk album if they chose to.<

Co-sign. If folks aren't going to agree that Jamiroquai is a funk band, fine. Like Davideye said, they mix different sounds into their own flavor. And the bottom line is, it's downright funky to my ears. No matter what kind of music they make, Jamiroquai is a great band.

soulpower said:

So, what you're saying, soulpower, is Jamiroquai and what they are is defined by their stage shows? How? Are you saying they need to have lights & smoke machines and spaceships to be a funk band? P-Funk already did that. And that was just the icing on the cake. Also those were just silly gimmicks anyways. The main focus, even in a live show, should be about the music. Cameo, Rick James and dem cats was great but they just used silly gimmicks or quirks live, which I don't really think is necessary to create a great show.

I am the biggest Mint Condition fan. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only Mint Condition fan. But the point is, Mint is not a funk band. Mint is R&B. Of course their music contains several other elements such as rock, jazz, and yes...funk, but Mint Condition is not a funk band. I still feel that it is ashame that they never got the recognition they deserved.

supermodel85 said:

You don't think Mint Condition is funky? Pretty Brown Eyes is a funky, funky track. I get that funkface when I'm listening to You Don't Have To Hurt or Someone To Love.

stymie said:

I didn't say they weren't funky. I know Mint's sound contains elements of funk. I just wouldn't label them a funk band. Mint is an R&B band
[This message was edited Wed Nov 12 11:30:27 PST 2003 by supermodel85]

NWF said:

I couldnt care less about stage light and all that stuff. Lemme give you the reasons why they just dont sound funky on stage:

- The horns are usually just studio players booked for the tour and not really part of the band. They dont sound soulful, but artificial.
- The bass and drums are not in the pocket enough. Like I said, the band comes from the Acid Jazz school which is a very London sound, its nice, very smooth... but I wouldnt call it deep Funk. Everytime they tried that in concert, they simply got lost.
- The singing is awful life. He sounds weak on stage, boring, he`s not singing from the heart. He has never sounded good, and I know these cats since 12 years now. Because they almost never use backup-singers on stage, the show gets tired very quickly.

For the record: I have never cared too much for the 80s funk acts like Cameo and Rick James either. I`m all about the real oldschool.

soulpower said:

Ok put your brakes on! Define real ol' school!

sinisterpentatonic said:

James Brown.
Dyke and the Blazers.
Joe Tex.
Mandrill.
Maceo.
Lyn Collins.
Sly.
The Fatback Band.
The Bar-Kays.
Hidden Strength.
E W & F (The early records).
Kool and the Gang (The early records).
Ohio Players (The early records).

Just to name a few.
I`m not really into anything released after 1977. Some stuff is okay, but I dont like how most of it sounds.
[This message was edited Wed Nov 12 12:24:25 PST 2003 by soulpower]

soulpower said:

Funk was just as good if not better after 1977. Sure, it might have ben overshadowed by disco, but the real funk was still good. Anyways, Jamiroquai has definitely got some funk in them, even in their live performances. You gotta see the live DVD, man.

NWF said:

Funk better after `77? Man, where are you livin? Tell that to any major funk musician, they will cringe hearing that.

Anyway, its nice that you enjoy their DVD which I am sure has been worked on a lot. I have seen them live many times... raw, uncut, uncensored. I know what I`m talking about. While I like some of their records, they are boring live and sho nuff NOT giving me the funk I need. Maybe you just havent seen enough of the funk masters in concert, so you cant really compare.

I've seen funk bands live and they were great. I've never seen Jamiroquai live, but the DVD gave me the same kind of experience. I thought it was just as good as the other funk acts that I've seen. Maybe you've had the bad karma of not enjoying them, but I liked them. "Nuff said.

Anyways, if we should keep this thread going, we really should get past this long, drawn out debate and just revel in the virtues of Jamiroquai's music. After all, they did create some great tracks.

supermodel85 said:

See,this is the problem with "labels".Most artists and bands don't like to be pigeonholed,they want the freedom to branch out and play more than just one type of music.Jamiroquai is so much more than just a "funk band" to me,and I don't think they'd wanna be considered as such anyway.The same goes for Mint Condition.

soulpower said:

[/quote]




I guess this is a good topic for another thread...lol...

NWF said:

they were a very underrated band. they wrote good strong songs too and jay kay was a pretty good frontman. they had grooves as well and WERE pretty funky though not in a hardcore sense. they were more acid jazz/jazz-funk fusion than anything, then later more disco-fied. whoever said mint condition, you keep thinking like that, mint condition were pretty cool and underrated but way too glossy sounding. i wouldnt call them a funk band though.

Does anyone know where I can see the "Virtual Insanity" video on-line? You know,the video that everybody raved about in 1996.

DavidEye said:

Try Kazaa or Launch.com.

pleas stop comparing jamiroquai to james brown and the like..
jamiroquais music is about playfulness and releasing that inner child .. its about fun

its not as complicated as the other stuff and i dont think it wants to be